Inpendence Day is coming up this week in the good old U.S. of A. and I'm sure that we'll all be treated to the usual red, white-and-blue editorial fanfare from the media. Since 9/11, freedom has taken on a whole new meaning in the minds of many Americans. As we recall with misty-eyed nostalgia the fight for our national independence, we'll wave our flags, grill up our nitrate soaked hot dogs and maybe sing a patriotic song or two in the bargain. Just like we do every year. But patriotism has an edgier quality to it these days than it used to. A sort of hopeful desperation creeps into any conversation on the merits and pitfalls of a free society. It seems almost as if we are trying to convince ourselves that we are still the same free people that we were before that day in September. And it just doesn't seem to be working all that well.

What is freedom? Better minds than mine have debated and orated and philosophized over what 'freedom' really means. Freedom is a very contextual word. There is personal freedom, political freedom, religious freedom and market freedom. A society or a government looks at the role of freedom and then decides just how much and how little it needs to allow or to regulate in order to keep things from falling apart. Some rules and regulations are needed to keep absolute freedoms from turning into absolute anarchy. Some rules and laws are good. If they keep people from tearing down my street at 75 miles an hour and running over my children and the cats in the process, I, too, would be content enough to drive at 35 miles an hour and get home in one piece if a few minutes later. A good law also allows for exceptions based upon some circumstances. An ambulance or police vehicle can exceed the speed limits for cases of emergency and if you are on the way to the hospital with someone who is bleeding all over the upholstery in your new Navigator, you'll probably get cut the same kind of deal.

We are generally happy with most rules and regulations if they make sense. Because there always may be some people who want to drive 75 miles an hour anywhere and everywhere and too bad for you if you happen to be in their way, traffic laws make sense to most people. Laws and regulations establish boundaries on behavior and if they are just laws, few will argue the desirability of them in the long run and in the big picture. So your absolute freedom to drive your car anywhere that you might like to go is curtailed by stop signs and traffic lights and speed limits and the issuance of a license and in dozens of other regulated little ways. You are still 'free' to break those laws, of course, if you are willing to pay the fine or face the other consequences when you are caught.

Did you ever stop to think about how many laws have been written specifically to insure our safety? Traffic laws, certainly, but there are environmental hazard protection laws, percentage of orange juice in your fruit drink disclosure laws, alcohol drinking laws and child protection laws. The list goes on and on. Concerns for public and private safety make up a large bulk of the laws that have been passed. And if they indeed help keep us safe from too much sugar and not enough juice, well then, most of us will be happy with a bit more nutritional content to start off our morning. We have come to depend on safety laws. Perhaps we have come to depend on safety laws too much. Perhaps we have been lulled and regulate enough 'for own safety' that we really believe that if a law is designed to keep us safe that it always has to be considered as a good law. And that it will, indeed, keep us safe. Even if it means that we can't be free.

There is always a trade-off between freedom and safety. Since 9/11, the trade-off has become much more visible. I think most Americans will notice some extra police on duty at the local Fourth of July celebrations this year and feel a bit more secure for it. We are adjusting to increased checkpoints at airports and going through metal detectors at many government and public buildings. What we are not used to is the curtailment of speech and of the right to assemble and to read the books of our choice without someone jotting those titles down in an F.B.I. notebook. I hope that we never get used to that. But I'm not all that encouraged. Most people in this country have shown a great willingness to give up some personal freedoms-like privacy and the right to open dissent- for the solace of feeling safe. "Trust us", these new laws and regulations whisper, "and we'll keep you safe. Look at what we've already done for you in the orange drink department."

It is perhaps poignantly ironic that all these new safety laws and regulations and powers under the sadly named 'Patriot Act' will be so visible come the Fourth of July. For what we will be celebrating on that day will not be the comfort of safety, but the desire for freedom. The War of Independence was not fought from behind computer screens, but on the rocky hills and in ice packed valleys of the American landscape. It was not fought in lands far away, but right here in New York and Pennsylvania. And those who fought the war, those who lost battle after battle after battle, felt neither safe nor secure. Sure, they fought the war to bring safety and security to the American colonies. But it was not safety that was the rallying cry which caused men to leave their farms to join up or to risk all that they owned and loved: It was freedom. They loved safety and security as all men and women of conscience will do. But they loved freedom more.

These were not rebellious men and women, our colonial Fathers and Mothers. They had to be cajoled, inspired and convinced that freedom was a more important value than was security. And after the war was over, they had to be cajoled, inspired and convinced that a free republic, of, for and by the people, was a worthy experiment in government. What they knew was the safety and security, if not the freedom, of the European monarchies, the protection of the King's Army/Navy, rule by the aristocratic classes and the persuasive power of the blessing- or the threat of excommunication- of the all-sovereign Church. They had to be convinced that a republic that allowed for freedom of expression, freedom of religion, of life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness could work. But they were convinced. If not convinced that it actually would work, at least they were convinced that it was worth the attempt. Freedom did not come easily. But how easily it can be given up.

"Independent will is our capacity to act. It gives us the power to transcend our paradigms, to swim upstream, to rewrite our scripts, to act based on principle rather than reacting based on emotion or circumstance." So writes Steven R. Covey in his book, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. More than two centuries separate Mr. Covey and his words from those of the American heroes and heroines whose lives and accomplishments we will celebrate this week. Yet, we can still hear the echo of Thomas Jefferson as he said in his 1st inaugural address in 1801, "Still one thing more, fellow citizens - a wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government. "

The potential trade-off between safety and freedom is always there. It is always addressed in some manner if the appeal is to one of genuine liberty and not to hedonistic anarchy. Freedom without safety is a harsh and violent landscape and safety without freedom is naught but a gilded cage. Any choices to made on the matter of how much security or how much liberty our nation should allow or regulate should never be presented as a matter of either or. That's not a choice; that's an ultimatum. Freedom and security can and must always walk hand in hand. Our choice then - when a choice must be made - is simply that of deciding which one of these that we value the most.

When real American patriots chose freedom over security two hundred years ago, they gave us something to celebrate this week. When Mr. Jefferson stated, "A society that will trade a little order for a little freedom will lose both, and deserve neither,' he made his choice perfectly clear. There are indeed times in the course of events when such choices must be made.

What's yours?

Wren WalkerCo-Founder - The Witches' VoiceMonday, July 1st., 2002

Photo Credit: Animated Flags created by 3dflags.com and are used with permission

Witch Hunts - Exposing The LiesA new series by Kerr Cuhulain(Launched THIS WEEK at Witchvox)

Do Witches worship Satan? Are Pagans the members of a secret underground cult that sacrifices babies? Are some 'unsolved' murders really covered ups perpetuated by law enforcement personnel as part of an evil conspiracy to overthrow Christianity and to promote a devilish agenda?

The answer would be 'yes' if you believed the claims of people such as Michael Warnke (The Satan Seller), Bill Schnoebelen (Wicca: Satan's Little White Lie) or Lawrence and Michelle Pazder (Michelle Remembers).

And many people DO believe.

Weaving a web of outrageous claims, these authors and the others like them, wage their insidious campaigns against Witches, Wiccans and Pagans with unbridled venom. Their books - in which they describe their 'firsthand' accounts of the 'Pagan' crimes that they claim they either witnessed, participated in, or were the victim of- have sold tens of thousands of copies worldwide.

Who are these people? Are they really ex-Pagans and/or ex-Satanists who have now 'seen the light'? Are they truly the victims of satanic occult abuse? Or are they something else entirely?

For many years, Kerr Cuhulain, working with other investigators and members from various Pagan communities, has followed the murky trail of allegations in order to uncover the truth behind these twisted tales of sorcery, secrecy and subversion.

Greetings to Wren and Fritz and the wonderful crew of the Witches' Voice;

I am writing with concern in my heart and hope this e-mail addy is the right one.

Around 11:00am mountain time a fire broke out in Makoshika State Park, the largest state park in Montana. The park is located in the eastern part of the state near Glendive. The area of the fire is in an area that has some wonderful power along with views and incredible terrain. The area also holds our groups grove, my daughters tree as well as a beautiful sandtone garden area that is natural and has incredible rock formations and is a power spot. The fire is small but is giving frefighters fits by running canyons... the surrounding area is rugged badlands and praire.

Our reason for writing is to get the word out to fellow Montanan Pagans of the fire and to request of our brothers and sisters of all paths to keep this fire in mind this eve and for those to come. We thank you for your time and for the wonderful service you all have done for the Pagan community.

July 1st. Update:

Bright Blessings Fritz, Wren and the crew at the Witches' Voice;

It is with a heavy heart and mixed emotions that I write this. First let me extend mine and our groups deepest heart felt thanks for the energy sent by you and all the other folks. The fire is out and the area that was hit was not as large as it could have been and for this we are thankful and fully believe that the energy sent by everyone helped greatly. Our grove stands as proof of the Magick of the Heart as it survived yet its' pain is strong. Several trees that we held sacred, my daughters, the tree (an old growth juniper) that gave me my wand and the ritual staff used by my partner was taken in the flames. Our sorrow runs deep.

Our group went to visit the burned area today and walked where the fire raged, each feeling the pain of the earth in their own way. This fire was a prime example of careless humans that lack respect for mother earth. The area will survive as the park is rugged and tough. On our trek out we came across a small sapling mayhap a foot and a half tall that survived. It was surrounded by nothing but scorched earth, what a wonderful sight that little tree was. Our group has adopted it and plans are in the works for a healing ritual this full moon.

We thought you may like to know what had happened. Once again thank you to you and to those of our brothers and sisters who sent energy and wishes to Makoshika.

Pagans Speak Out on the 'Pledge' #1 by Christina AubinOn matters of religion and government - I make it no secret that I am in high favor of the separation of church and state - theocracies have a long and harsh history, no doubt begun by well meaning folks but ending horribly wrong, violating their own religious teachings and laws, under the assumption that it is okay to bend the word by which they seek to live their lives when there is a perceived good against evil struggle. Many folks can easily justify the act of killing if it is in the name of promoting a religion, cleansing the population of evil and other such justifications.

Reading through history, the horror of religious abuses of power come screaming from the pages - their victims often forgotten, falling into the anonymous terms of statistics. One striking scene for me is the burning of Protestants at the stake by Catholics, and make no mistake that the opposite was also... (Full Article)

Pagans Speak Out on the 'Pledge' #2 by Karrie9My point of view? The Powers that be, God, Gods, All, The Source, the Devine (whatever you want to call it and however you want to see it) help those who help themselves and Unite those who choose to Unite.

I would say leave personal references to God/Gods/Goddess/All/The Source/the Devine out of the pledge and its foci -- and put in what was left out and should not have been.

Put in the word "equality" and focus again on "United" -- all religions, spiritualities, and paths are to be respected and protected here in the United States of America -- United was the word! This morass and hoopla over God is divisionary... (Full Article)

Pagans Speak Out on the 'Pledge' #3 by CairpreAmerica. Land of the Free. There has never been a greater nation. We are the successful mixture of a thousand lifestyles, a hundred religions, and a score of races and we are all together under one banner because we believe in the most essential of human rights: freedom. We have so much love for our country that we have a number of ways to show our pride. The most well-known of these is the one taught in our earliest years at school.

The Pledge of Allegiance has always been a wonderful way to declare love for your country, it seems to say it all, yet it has always been aimed toward only the Christian faction of the population. With just two words the national pledge is taken away from so many people who would like nothing more than to show pride in the country that gives them such freedom. Is patriotism thus reserved only for white Christian Middle America? Why can't a Buddhist declare his love for American freedom without having to compromise his... (Full Article)

I recently received an email from someone who had gone to an open Circle and came away very disappointed. It was poorly organized, the songs too complex, and overall it seemed tossed together with no more thought than a green salad. Her question, as a result, was: "how do I avoid this type of disaster in the future -- one that cost both money and time and ruined the holiday."

At first I thought the answer was easy -- but it's not. This group had been doing this ritual for years, so there was a history behind it. My friends couldn't be accused of going to a new event without doing some legwork first. So what was (and is) the key?

Tackling this question from several standpoints, let's begin with attendees. If you've never been to this particular open circle before and don't know the coordinators, ask around. Try to get some word of mouth feedback. In particular call the owners of any metaphysical shops in the area to see if they've heard anything. You'd be amazed at home much praise and grumbling goes on while shopping! -- (continued... Full Article)

Envision it. A library filled with books about Paganism and Magick. Not just the few shelves at the local public library. Not just bubblegum Wicca. In Minneapolis, this is already a reality.

The New Alexandria Library and Resource Center opened its doors in September 2000. We have over 1500 books, several hundred periodicals, assorted video and audio tapes and a beautiful statue of Isis. Our intent is to be a resource not just for the local Pagan community but for Neo-Pagans worldwide. Our collection is growing every day, ranging from first editions of Gardner and Murray to Pagan fiction (Terry Pratchett, anyone?) Our holdings include books on Paganism - paleo, meso and neo, Wicca, Goddess Studies, Mythology, Shamanism, Queer Spirituality, Divination, Thelema, and Magick. We are also the proud repository of two special collections: the Paul Tuitean Memorial Norse collection and the Steven W. Posch Semitica collection . We have what we hope will become the definitive collection of pagan periodicals, and, in addition, the ephemera of our community: festival brochures, ritual scripts, flyers announcing pagan events.

We are staffed by volunteers, and depend entirely on contributions from the community to survive. To further this work of the Goddess, we urgently request your assistance. We welcome donations of books and other materials. (Please contact us first to avoid duplication.) Most of all, we need your generous financial support.

The New Alexandria Library Project(Georgetown, DE)A Modern Resource For Metaphysical Communities

The New Alexandrian Library Project is sponsored by the Assembly of the Sacred Wheel a 501(c) 3 religious nonprofit organization.

Once, the Great Library of Alexandria served that purpose admirably. This project is working to create a library worthy of its namesake. By no later than 2010 the New Alexandrian Library will open its doors. .

Will you help to open that door?.

The Vision: We live in a time where there is a new renaissance in the exploration of the spiritual and the magickal. A need exists for a place where knowledge from many esoteric traditions can be accessed by scholars and serious seekers. The New Alexandrian Library will be a modern, state of the art library with the capacity to preserve and to protect all forms of esoteric knowledge.

Books, periodicals, special collections, music, media, digital data, etc., will all be carefully cataloged and cross-referenced to ease the work of research. The Library will work to restore and to preserve rare and damaged documents. The history of our magickal communities will also be collected for the future. In addition to its physical presence, the New Alexandrian Library will have an internet component to maximize its utility. Over time, as much material as is possible, within the limits of logistics and legalities, will be available online.

The New Alexandrian Library will be primarily a research and reference library, not a lending library. It will provide onsite workstations and other facilities. We are also examining housing options for long term research.

The land for this project is being donated as well as the architectural plans. The New Alexandrian Library will be located in the sacred woods of Seelie court in Southern Delaware. The New Alexandrian Library will be under the aegis of the Assembly of the Sacred Wheel and as such donations are tax deductible.

Inclusive of all Traditions: The New Alexandrian Library will be collecting materials from all spiritual traditions. Like the original Alexandrian Library in Egypt, it will be an interfaith crossroads.

It is our projection that this day be full everything that makes up your most powerful reflections. Do something special for yourself and take advantage of this day to reflect on the exciting future you have just ahead.

May the Love of the Great ones be with your spirit throughout the year,

In YOUR Service,The WitchVox Staff

Pagan Night Out in North Carolina by Starwalker

"Our "Down East" (NC) PNO event, which is posted on WitchVox, had it's first gathering June 8. Attached is a photo of the small, but enthusiastic group that gathered. They have all given their permission to be photographed for WitchVox, and in fact are all listed here. I was the "organizer" and photographer, so I had to Photoshop in my image...

We have heard from quite a few more, and the original group are all looking forward with excited anticipation to "Down East" PNO #2, July 6! We recently added to our listing, as we now have a web page up.

Like many good projects, the Pagan Bar Association started for selfish reasons. I wanted to communicate with other attorneys who, like myself, follow the way of the Witch. I had thought that my co-moderator and I could not be the only two Pagan lawyers in California, or for that matter in the world. I imagined there could be as many as ten in North America alone. As it turns out, there are many more than that.

I started the Yahoo Group just to see what would happen. My belief was, and is, that a group of sharp minds, with a common Pagan ground, must eventually spark good things. At the worst communication and collegiality among attorneys of our kind is good, and better than what we had.

Additionally I was inspired, as often I am, by Kerr Cuhulain, who has just organized Officers of Avalon, a group of Pagan Emergency Service personnel on a worldwide basis [good on you Kerr].

So off I went and set up the Yahoo Group, and posted a few announcements. In a week we had five members. Then my co-moderator stepped in and spread the word intensely for a few days. We shortly had 25 members, then seventy-five, and then an hundred and seventy-five. All within seven days. -- (continued... Full Statement)

The following excerpt appeared in the 10th paragraph of an AOL Associated Press regularly annoying pop-up news of the day kind of thing.

"In Show Low, a town fire officials had thought just a week ago was doomed, cars and motor homes filled the streets again Saturday as many of the 7,700 residents returned to still-standing homes. They had been ordered out on June 22."

The Pagan Alliance of Nurses (PAN) announced the formation today of an egroup and an organization, welcoming all RNs, LPNs, CNMs, NPs, CRNAs and Nursing Students who follow the Pagan path.

PAN will provide connection and support to Pagan nurses around the globe. Every Pagan tradition and practice is welcome.

"It is time that those of us with our roots in healing and our feet on the Pagan path to join our consciousness to work together to heal our earth, those in our care, and each other," said PAN spokesperson Nancy Trogdon, RN-C. "We are in one of the oldest faith communities; it's time to reach out to one another. Together we hope to share comfort, joy, support, and feelings of love and acceptance."

If you know a Pagan nurse, please pass this notice along.

Nancy explains Her vision best... "It's been a fast and wild ride over the past couple of months. I nonchalantly mentioned on a local egroup that I had a dream about having a Pagan radio show on NPR. The list-folk, mostly students at USM JUMPED on the suggestion and we hope to have a demo-tape ready by August and be on the air in Sept or Oct. Then, I saw Kerr's notice on WitchVox and emailed him that I thought what he was doing was great and mentioned that I hoped one day to have the "Pagan Alliance of Nurses" (I named it years ago). The next thing I know he mentions is on the article for you and on the Officers of Avalon site; I'm Nurse "Shaughna Savage" (name email name from before I came out) from Maine. Well, what was I to do? I finally got off my adorable bottom and started the egroup and am networking to form the offical organization. It's almost as if Epona (my beloved Goddess) let me get mounted then bolted off in a gallop to parts unknown and all I can do is hang on and enjoy the ride".

My notes this week will be brief and mostly just to do some clarification and to offer a few thanks.

My personal thanks go out to Gold (www.magick.com.au) for tossing me some critical code to work with dates in PHP. To you this means that we will better flag your new or modified listings over in your networking section (Witches of the World: aka WOTW) here at TWV. Thanks Gold, you, my friend, are a lifesaver.

Traffic was down a bit, here at TWV in June (2.3 Million Page Views). This is typical of what we have seen over the past 6 years. Some of you lose computer access during your break from school and many of you are starting to take some well-deserved time off from all this Web madness. Have a wonderful vacation.

June marked the first full month with our 'cloaked email' system (the protection of 42,000 email addresses over at W.O.T.W.)... In essence this new system removed all access (even in the source code) to the public and spam bots to all email addresses on the W.O.T.W. pages. This new system offers stern spam warnings and is form driven. During June there were 24,231 emails sent from the forms over at WOTW. A nice feature OF this new system is that WE receive any undeliverables... So, we can purge listings with bad emails on a regular basis instead of every 90 days...

DO KNOW that if your listing has been removed (from WOTW) there is a 99% chance that it was done automatically due your posted email address returning a 'user unknown' or "mailbox over quota'.

Final Webby Notes/clarification: Many of you have emailed us suggesting that we post the 'Webby award winner' icon on our front page... As of yesterday we have done so. Many have also asked what our five-word acceptance speech was and if we had received the award yet. We have learned since the ceremony that 'Peoples Voice Award' winners are not solicited for an acceptance speech, don't actually receive an award and are not noted in the Webby press releases. We requested again this past week to have the Webby folks AT LEAST get out name properly spelled on the Webby award winners page. Hopefully they can coordinate this simple request soon.

Perhaps THEY Knew: At this time we would like to reveal our plan for the award itself. Had we'd been given a physical award, our plan was to immediately share the 'Webby' with the community and we do mean literally! Wren and I had fun some with this idea on the day you won the award and envisioned sending it 'round the world to visit dozens of Pagan groups over the next year. Our thoughts included; dressing it up (like those *too funny* Snapple bottles in TV ads) encouraging groups to take pictures and have some fun with this. Oh well, apparently THAT wasn't meant to be. Never the less, the bottom line was YOUR statement to the world related to our community numbers and our impact. - I say again, Good show.

In America, this week, we will be celebrating our Independence from the Brits (nothing personal folks)... Wren and I love this country and are proud to call ourselves Americans. For this household, 7/4 typically means an extra day off to attack that ever growing list of projects. Ideas have always been plentiful but it seems that the true magick (for us) is prioritizing them and attacking them with a vengeance. Look for some very important changes in the weeks to come!

Proud to be in YOUR service,

Fritz JungCo-Founder - The Witches' VoiceMonday, July 1st., 2002

Essay Topics for 2002 Announced this week!

This week Diotima posted the essay topics for the remainder of 2002 for both the Young Pagan and Adult sections

For the complete list of Adult Topics Click HEREFor the complete list of Young Pagan Topics Click HERE

Adult Essay Topics for the August...

Topic: Lughnassad/LammasDo you celebrate Lughnassad, Lammas or another early harvest festival? If you do, tell us how you celebrate it, when, and what myths, stories and rituals are important for you around this time. -- Go Here for details

Topic: The Mineral KingdomThe use of stones and crystals in religious practice spans many cultures. Do you use stones or crystals as part of your magickal, meditative or ritual practices? What part do they play in your practice? Have you gotten information on the stones from a tradition, from personal experience, or both? -- Go Here for details

Publication Date: August 11thSubmission Deadline: August 4th

Teen Essay Topics for the August...

Topic: Lughnassad/LammasDo you celebrate Lughnassad, Lammas or another early harvest festival? If you do, tell us how you celebrate it, when, and what myths, stories and rituals are important for you around this time. -- Go Here for details

Topic: The Mineral KingdomThe use of stones and crystals in religious practice spans many cultures. Do you use stones or crystals as part of your magickal, meditative or ritual practices? What part do they play in your practice? Have you gotten information on the stones from a tradition, from personal experience, or both? -- Go Here for details

"The Pagan Community that Could..." a wonderful piece by Wren Walker Monster Fires... Out of Control in the US West! Protection Magick Needed for those in it's path - Updates by Adamina... Record Solstice Coverage in the Press World-Wide - See Wren's nest for many of them and expect more in the next few days. Pagan Community Takes The Webby Award! - Pagan Pride stuns the mainstream by beating Beliefnet and the Vatican to take the Peoples Voice Award in the Spirituality Category New Festival Review: Free Spirit Gathering XVII A wonderful review (with some beautiful faces) of this Festival by H. Byron Ballard - Photos by Diotima American Airlines/American Eagle Employees form a new Employee Resource Group for followers of pPagan and other minority/alternative religions Divination Practice Without Borders: An Examination of Tarot Certification by Thalassa Record Week for Submissions to the Witches' of the World Networking Pages... Over 1,600 New/Updated listings. Check your State/Prov/Terr/Country page for the latest in Pagans, Groups, Events and more. Mini-Review of "Death by Magic" (aired on UPN - 6/21/2002) by Chris Johnson Notes from a Pagan WebCrafter: Who took the Webby? Our Thoughts on YOUR Award. (Click HERE for last weeks Feature!)

So What Happened to the Other Weeks Features?If you missed any of our Weekly updates,DO KNOW that we archive the WitchVox Home Pages...

Website structure, evolution and php coding by Fritz Jung on a Macintosh G5.

Any and all personal political opinions expressed in the public listing sections (including, but not restricted to, personals, events, groups, shops, Wrenâ€™s Nest, etc.) are solely those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinion of The Witchesâ€™ Voice, Inc. TWV is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization.

Sponsorship: Visit the Witches' Voice Sponsor Page for info on how youcan help support this Community Resource. Donations ARE Tax Deductible.
The Witches' Voice carries a 501(c)(3) certificate and a Federal Tax ID.